Seedlings getting eaten :(

[Seedlings getting eaten :(]

Yeah mac, the roach thing looked more like that - not as flat as the cockroaches I see in google images for "cockroach". That segmented look. Water moats and sticky paper are great ideas!

By the way - somehow the latest one to be eaten is still alive. Hasn't shrivelled like the others. He was the biggest so maybe a bit tougher.

Thanks tripsis - I guess that means they do like lophs! Archaea - they are like 1.5 cm tall and very thin. The stems are about 1-2 mm thick. The sun damage was actually just pigment which was pale green-white, then orange, red, then purple now fading back to blue-green. It started at about 2 months in. Initially, I had them germinate in a propogation tray with a clear plastic lid beside a frosted window. I placed a tea towel over the plastic lid to reduce the chance of sunburn. I began removing it for short periods to ease the seedlings gradually into light after 1.5 months. That was when the sunburn happened so I guess the others got deprived of light because I was giving the whole tray the same dim conditions when different seedlings had different needs. I did lose a few seedlings to sunburn in those days. Maybe they were more sensitive to it because they were covered up too much initially. There was a fine line between too much and not enough light. I've had 1-2 month old lophs die early from sunburn in just indirect light through frosted glass windows on overcast days.

As for light now, they are on a pretty bright windowsill (still frosted glass, but uncovered). Should I give them sun outside yet or not?

Another factor which I now know is that the mix in the propogation tray was way too coarse - big bits of bark from the potting mix (I didn't sift it). I used 1/3 perlite, 1/3 propogation sand from Bunnings, and 1.3 commercial cacti potting mix (Debco from Bunnings). http://www.gardenexpress.com.au/debco-cacti-succulent-mix/ I will sift in future!

Hmm interesting topic - are alkaline cacti more tasty to the bugs? Greedy buggers...

Thanks for your encouragement. Hopefully the left one will live and we will have 2 alive in the tray long term He isn't giving up as easily as the others.

[Seedlings getting eaten :(]

Thanks. Hopefully the surface spray will work for now. I will also try to give them a little more light as new seedlings in the future to minimise etoliation. One day I will have a greenhouse, that will be the best. Cheers guys.

Edit: sealed takeaway containers might be the go as well.

[Seedlings getting eaten :(]

Do any of you guys ever have problems with seedlings getting nibbled by large bugs and then shrivelling up and dying? I have some seedlings sitting inside near a window which are about 3-4 months old, just starting to toughen up a little (uncovered, weekly bottom-waterings). (no fungus gnats or mold; soil completely dries out every week. There is noticeable salt buildup however, which I mist down about once a week)

I had 7 germinate, lost 4 very young, and then had 4 live until about 3 months. Since then, I noticed chew-marks in 3 seedlings on 3 separate occasions. A little cockroach-like thing had been hanging around. I thought I was keeping him out with a cake-cover put over the seedling tray but alas today my best seedling has had his round top chewed right off I hope he lives. It's possible as he is pretty big but all the others have perished after being nibbled. They just dry up and shrivel dead once their skin has been broken.

I just watered them so hopefully he will get some moisture and live through this! If he dies, this leaves only one seedling alive in the tray!

I gave up and got out the surface spray to keep roachy away. Sprayed a square around where the tray sits (none on the seedlings!)

I would like to know how you guys protect your seedlings from bugs while they are uncovered and hardening off but still quite young? Maybe I should use the plastic bag method and let them stay wetter for longer. But they have to come out into the air some time. So tell me cactus lovers, how do you prevent death by nibbling?

3 musketeers (middle one has just been chewed and is starting to curl up)

This is the middle guy. You can see where he has been chewed down the centre.

Slowly shrivelling away

And this is how the left-most one looks today! round head completely eaten away He probably won't survive this

Finally the last uneaten one left (right-hand seedling in the first photo). This one is recovering from some earlier sun damage.

[Hello everyone]

Hey guys just a token post to say hi and avoid account deletion due to zero posts. I'm learning a lot from these forums and I appreciate having such great information and people here. I've been lurking a few years now.

Growing some cacti at the moment and one day I hope to have a full entho-garden! It's an exciting project and very calming and humbling growing these plants.

Thanks for being here!

Cimi